Gustavo Pierini

If you want a biblical worldview the place to look for it is the Bible. The same is true if you want to understand Jesus. A rich appreciation for what Jesus said and did comes from the narratives about him in the biblical text. Solomon West—who spends his days in the financial district—is cataloguing nearly 100 encounters with Jesus in the Gospel Luke wrote. And he’s welcomed us to join him.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
— Jesus, John 8:31, 36

_____

There is a great deal of disappointment expressed today about . . . the Christian faith and its understanding of reality.  Most of the disappointment comes from Christians themselves, who find that what they profess ‘just isn’t working’ – not for themselves nor, so far as they can see, for those around them.  But there is an obvious great disparity between, on the one hand, the hope for life expressed in Jesus – found real in the Bible and in many shining examples from among his followers – and, on the other hand, the actual day-to-day behavior, inner life, and social presence of most of those who now profess adherence to him.

But here is the problem.  Who, among Christians today, is a disciple of Jesus, in any substantive sense of the word ‘disciple’?  A disciple is a learner, a student, an apprentice – a practitioner, even if only a beginner.  The Bible is clear.  Disciples of Jesus are people who do not just profess certain views as their own but apply their growing understanding of life in the Kingdom of the Heavens to every aspect of their life on earth.

Most problems in contemporary churches, in marriages, in finances, in relationships, in families   . . . can be explained by the fact that people have never decided to follow Christ.  The disciple of Christ desires above all else to be like him. — Dallas Willard, The Great Omission

_____

Encounter 1: The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Luke 2:41-52

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. ⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

⁴⁹“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

_____

Some Observations

• Jesus was deeply interested in understanding and learning. He did this by humbly listening and questioning, even though he presumably was wiser than the teachers. Do I listen and question like Jesus?
• In John, Jesus says, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.” (7:16) How close to the source are my conceptions of God?
• He also says, “. . . the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because what the Father does the Son also does.” (5:19) How does my workplace behavior match favorably to that standard? Unfavorably?
• The relationship between Jesus the Son and God the Father is inseparable. Is there anything between me and God today?
• Jesus’ priority was being in his Father’s house immersing himself in everything about his Father, learning from teachers and memorizing Scripture. If someone shadowed me for two weeks, what would he or she likely conclude about my appetite for spiritual formation?
• Jesus hints at his deity by referring to “my Father’s house” to the confusion of those around him.
• This relationship was paramount in his life, beyond his obligation to his parents or earthly family.
• His desire to be in his Father’s presence made him almost oblivious to other demands and expectations.
• Jesus’ learning allowed him to grow in wisdom to the point where those around him were “amazed.” How do I recognize the difference between “amazing” wisdom and spiritual pretensions?
• Jesus also teaches us in John—using the metaphor of a vine and its branches—that we can do nothing apart from him: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:5) What questions does this raise?
• As Jesus sought the constant presence and deep knowledge of God the Father, we too must seek to learn everything we can about Jesus . . . what he did and said, taught, his attributes, how he acted, how he responded to different situations and people, etc. How can I be intentional about this quest in the next 90 days?
• Jesus’ death and resurrection are central to his identity and mission—it is how we are reconciled to God.
• Yet to be conformed to his image, we must learn who Jesus is in practical terms beyond this critically important central element. Where are the obvious gaps in my beyond-the-basics knowledge of Jesus?
• The close to one-hundred encounters in Luke give us an opportunity to do this.

_____

Wisdom

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
— Proverbs 3:5, 6

_____

A Prayer

You are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift my head.  I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.  From the Lord comes deliverance.  May your blessing be on your people.
— Psalm 3:3, 5, 8

Solomon West works in the private equity industry.